The present invention relates to water treatment systems and methods of treating water. More specifically, the invention relates to systems and devices for industrial and residential water softening using at least two streams of water, one of which carries water treatment composition to the other.
Fresh water supplies across the world are typically derived from underground aquifers or streams originating in terrain rich with alkaline earth metals, including calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+). As a result, much of the fresh water available for industrial or residential use is enriched with cationic mineral with an alkaline pH. Such water is frequently referred to as “hard water.”
A number of technologies have been developed to soften water—that is to remove or replace alkaline earth metals and decrease the pH of the fresh water. Water treatment systems for such purposes typically substitute calcium and magnesium ions contained in hard water with alkaline ions such as sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+). For this softening function, conventional water softeners often include a softening tank to soften raw water. The softening tank is filled with an ion exchange resin loaded with sodium or potassium ions. The sodium and potassium ions exchange with the calcium and magnesium ions in the fresh water supply. Eventually, however, the ion exchange resin become saturated with the alkaline earth metals and must be recharged—stripped of the unwanted ions and replaced with more alkaline ions. The regeneration process often involves discharging a costly and wasteful amount of water which is an increasingly important commodity. Also, this discharged water contains sodium or potassium chloride used to regenerate the ion exchange resin. In addition, many water systems were not built with water treatment systems for softening the water. Such systems often suffer from hard water buildup and become occluded.
There is, therefore, a need to provide water treatment systems that conserve the amount of fresh water consumed to soften hard water. Moreover, there is a need to provide water treatment systems that can remove hard water buildup already existing in a water system.